Good morning everyone I hope you had a great New Year. Today I thought I’d share my favourite signed book with you. This is something I’ve seen on Instagram but thought might be fun to show here too.
I was lucky enough to hear Tracy talk about this book at The Cheltenham Literary Festival a few years ago and then meet her afterwards. I was so excited and turned into a bit of a fan girl when I actually met her but she was so lovely and made me feel at ease. I absolutely loved this book too and highly recommend it to everyone who likes historical fiction. I’m impatiently waiting for her next book to come out soon!
But Violet is also fiercely independent and determined. Escaping her suffocating mother, she moves to Winchester to start a new life –a change that will require courage, resilience and acts of quiet rebellion. And when whispers of another world war surface, she must live with a secret that could change everything…
About The Author:
Tracy is the author of 10 novels, including the international bestseller GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, which has sold over 5 million copies and been made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. American by birth, British by geography, she lives in London with her husband and son. Her latest novel, A SINGLE THREAD, tells the story of an English woman between the Wars who forges an independent life in Winchester. Tracy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has honorary doctorates from her alma maters Oberlin College and the University of East Anglia. Her website http://www.tchevalier.com will tell you more about her and her books.
Good morning everyone and Happy New Year! I wish you all the best for 2023.
Some of you might also know that I do a feature on my blog called JoJo Recommends where I feature a twitch streamer and their music every week. Twitch was something I turned to during lockdown when I was very lonely homeschooling three kids and has continued to be a positive feature in my life. I’ve met lots of great friends across the globe, become part of some great communities and discovered some truly amazing music.
I have since moved on to do a regular feature on a podcast on twitch called Island Vibing Presents where I film myself talking about the twitch streamers I feature.
Here is a recap of some of the artist’s I’ve featured. They are stream on Twitch and have music on Spotify or to buy on Bandcamp.
Joshua Woo
Josh is a singer songwriter from Essex in the UK. His music has been featured on BBC news and has gone viral on Tik Tok. He recently released his debut EP called Beyond The Glass.
Annie Bonsignore
Annie is a singer songwriter originally from South Africa but now settled in Canada where she lives with her two adorable children and equally talented pianist husband. Annie has three albums of original music and is looking to release more soon.
Ryan Leaf Music
Ryan is a singer songwriter from the UK who is a huge part of the twitch community. He originally started streaming games but has since moved onto streaming music. Therapy is his debut single.
Tyler Levs
Tyler is a singer songwriter from Maine in the US. His streams are always great fun to be on and Tyler is always really friendly. He has lots of music on Spotify and there’s lots of new music coming soon!
Matt Suarez
Matt is a singer songwriter from California who streams regularly on twitch and does lots of live gigs in his home town. Matt has some amazing originals and some fascinating stories to tell which make his streams great to watch.
Charlotte Campbell
Charlotte Campbell is a singer songwriter and London busker from London. You can often find her singing a variety of covers and originals on the Southbank in London just below the London Eye. She recently competed in a busking competition in South Korea.
Spaceman
Spaceman is a singer songwriter from Ukraine whose identify remains a mystery thanks to a helmet he always wears whilst performing. He has continued to stream throughout the conflict when possible and often raises money for the Ukrainian army through his streams.
Samuel Alexander
Samuel Alexander is a singer songwriter from Melbourne in Australia. He has composed some beautiful piano pieces and recently wrote his first guitar track in stream.
Jackson Harden
Jackson is a singer songwriter from Utah in the United States. He sadly doesn’t stream as much these days but does lots of love gigs around his town. He writes beautiful indie folk songs which always send a chill down my spine whilst listening. He is also a member of four piece indie band Sea Elephant Band
Joey Collins
Joey is a singer songwriter from Nottingham whose debut album is being released this year. He does lots of love gigs around his local area and recently did a stint working on a cruise ship.
Lucy May Walker
Lucy is a singer songwriter and busker from London who can often be found busking outside Wembley Stadium. She’s supported Texas on tour and has her debut album out in March this year. She recently released a single for baby loss charity Tommy which is a cause very close to my heart after losing my son Christopher six years ago.
Chris Miller
Chris is a singer songwriter from Australia who regularly streams with his wife and three children who sometimes help him with the singing. He has a great back catalogue of music to listen ranging from rock to more acoustic numbers.
Luna Keller
Luna Keller is a singer songwriter from Germany who has one of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard. Her streams are always great fun to be on and her community is very welcoming. Luna released her debut album, Prophecies and Silver Linings, earlier this year.
The Waxbirds
The Waxbirds are a singer songwriter duo from New Zealand who consist of married couple Jo and Pete. Their original music is beautiful and I highly recommend it. They don’t tend to stream much during their summer months and do lots of live gigs instead.
LJPMUSIC
Luke of LJPMusic is a singer songwriter originally from Poland but now living in Canada. He’s played guitar since he was small and has been in.a variety of different bands throughout his musical career. His latest release In this together is a Collab with other twitch streamers.
There are many more twitch artists for you to listen to but these are my favourites who also have music released! Honourable mentions to the lovely Phil Smyth and Theodore Elfing who I’m impatiently waiting music from.
JoJo Recommends Playlist:
If you would like to listen to any of the above mentioned artists or other artists I’ve featured you can do so via a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.
As mentioned above I now have a feature on the Island Vibing Presents twitch stress where I talk about the artist I’m featuring and Island Vibing plays the song for you to listen to. If you’d like to catch it live or watch the past episodes you can do so via the link below.
Good morning everyone and Happy New Year for later. I’ve been very lucky and have managed to read some fantastic books this year. I was hoping to narrow it down to 10 but it’s been impossible to choose so I’ve just decided to feature the books that I’ve continued to think about and recommended to people long after I’ve finished reading.
Id like to also take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported me this year. All my lovely blogger friends, publisher’s for all my review copies, anyone who subscribes to my blog or follows me on social media thanks so so much! I really enjoy doing my blog and thinking of new content for you all.
So in no particular order here are my favourite books of 2022. I highly recommend them all!
Good morning everyone I hope you all had a great Christmas.
Today I thought I’d show you this beautiful book that I bought just before Christmas. I have to admit I saw it recommended on Instagram and just fell in love with the beautiful cover. Despite multiple attempts I don’t think my photo does it justice but it is simply stunning in my opinion. I love all the illustrations and the gold thread! Plus I think it’s a book I might be able to share with my eldest but I’m going to read it first just in case there’s anything too scary for him.
Have you ever bought a book for it’s cover?
Book Synopsis:
For fans of Natalie Haynes, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and Neil Gaiman comes Frances Hardinge’s spectacular new novel Unraveller. Called her ‘best yet’ by the Guardian, and ‘sheer perfection’ and ‘a masterpiece’ by reviewers, Hardinge expertly weaves together mythology and mystery in a meticulously-detailed world besieged by curses.
If you must travel to the country of Raddith, then be prepared. Bring a mosquito net for the lowlands, and a warm coat for the hills or mountains. If you mean to visit the misty marsh-woods known as the Wilds, you will need stout, waterproof boots. (You will also needs wits, courage and luck, but some things cannot be packed.)
You have of course heard that some people in Raddith are able to curse their enemies. It sounded so picturesque when you were reading about it at home, like a fairytale.
Perhaps you will decide that all the stories of the Wilds and the Raddith cursers were invented to entertain tourists. And at night, when you see a many-legged shape scuttle across the ceiling of your bedchamber, you will tell yourself that it is a spider, and only a spider . . .
. . . It is not.
In a world where anyone can create life-destroying curses, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but uses it to help those who have been cursed, including his ally and closest friend, Nettle. But Kellen himself is cursed, and unless he and Nettle can release him, he is in danger of unravelling everything – and everyone – around him.
About The Author:
Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children’s novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children’s novels including, Fly By Night’s sequel, Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree.
One month to go. One stressed mum. Can she pull off the perfect family Christmas?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Like every mum, Tara wants a perfect Christmas for her family – but no-one else is lifting a finger and she’s losing her elf-ing mind.
From a vaping teen, explosive potty training and a disastrous Nativity, to a distracted husband acting very out of character, the final straw is Tara’s glamorous, feckless mother moving herself back in for the holidays.
Can Tara pull off the holly jolly Christmas of her dreams? Will she deck the halls and not her family? Or is this a Christmas catastrophe waiting to happen…
Hilarious, heartwarming and festive as f*ck – the new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Mammy Banter: The Secret Life of an Uncool Mum.
My Review:
This was an hilarious, heart warming read that was just what I needed in the run up to Christmas.
Firstly as a mum of three I definitely related to Tara as I know how wonderful but exhausting it can be having three kids. It seems to be a constant whirl of mess, arguments and guilt which is perfectly captured in this book. Some of the events in this book had be laughing out loud whilst being glad that these things don’t just happen to me.
There was lots of action in this book, some more emotional then I expected. I enjoyed following the different story lines and seeing how they developed. As you can probably imagine things don’t run smoothly, with lots of curve balls and surprising twists to the story. Some of these played out differently to how I expected which I always enjoy.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend this to stressed out mums on the run up to Christmas as it’s very relatable. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll definitely read more from her in the future.
About The Author:
Up and coming comedy content creator, writer, actress and public speaker, Serena Terry, known as Mammy Banter, has taken the social media world by storm after her hilarious videos started going viral across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Serena’s down-to-earth, ‘tell it like it is’ realness has resonated with fans around the world. She now has over 650,000 followers on TikTok, 135,000 on Instagram and 100k on Facebook, with more than 20 million views across all platforms.
She lives in Derry with her husband (@daddy_banter) and two kids. She’d love a nap, too.
Eek it finally arrived! I always enjoy receiving my Orenda Subscription from Bert’s books and seeing what fabulous book I’ve got this month. I was particularly excited to discover it was this book as I’ve loved this author’s previous books and have heard great things about this one! I can’t wait to read this soon!
Do you have any book subscriptions?
Book Synopsis:
Renowned photo-journalist Jude Montgomery arrives in Glasgow in 2014, in the wake of the failed Scottish independence referendum, and it’s clear that she’s searching for someone.
Is it Anna Mason, who will go on to lead the country as First Minister? Jamie Hewitt, guitarist from eighties one-hit wonders The Hyptones? Or is it Rabbit – Jude’s estranged foster sister, now a world-famous artist?
Three apparently unconnected people, who share a devastating secret, whose lives were forever changed by one traumatic night in Phoenix, forty years earlier.
Taking us back to a school shooting in her Texas hometown, and a 1980s road trip across the American West – to San Francisco and on to New York – Jude’s search ends in Glasgow, and a final, shocking event that only one person can fully explain…
An extraordinary, gritty and tender novel about fate and destiny, regret and absolution – and a road trip that changes everything…
About The Author:
David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964. His critically acclaimed debut novel, The Last Days of Disco, was long-listed for the Best First Novel Award by the Author’s Club of London. National Theatre Scotland acquired dramatic rights for the book in 2015.He completed a trilogy of Ayrshire-based books with The Rise & Fall of the Miraculous Vespas and The Man Who Loved Islands. All three novels have been translated into German, published by Heyne Hardcore (Random House). Welcome to The Heady Heights – His fourth for Orenda Books – was published in March 2019.There’s Only One Danny Garvey was shortlisted for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year 2021. It has been called ‘a brilliant, bittersweet story that captures the rawness of strained relationships.’David F. Ross is a regular contributor to Nutmeg and Razur Cuts magazines, and in December 2018 was chosen to contribute a poem commemorating the 16th anniversary of the death of Joe Strummer for the publication Ashes to Activists. In 2020 he wrote the screenplay for the film ‘Miraculous’, based on his own novel.His sixth novel – Dashboard Elvis Is Dead – will be published by Orenda Books in December 2022Follow David on Twitter @dfr10, on Instagram
Good morning everyone! I’m on holiday for two weeks over the Christmas period which I’m really looking forward to. My kids are super hyper about Christmas and my youngest’s birthday on the 23rd so it’s a bit hectic at the moment.
Here are 5 books I’m hoping to read over the holidays. We’re off to visit relatives so not sure if I’ve overstretched myself but fingers crossed I get to read them all!
There are some that I’ve mentioned before but I didn’t get a chance to read them so I’d like to finally read them over Christmas.
What are you hoping to read over Christmas?
A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
When we go through something impossible, someone, or something, will help us, if we let them . . .
It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan.
William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets.
His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because – as William discovers – giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
The instant SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestseller that Stephen King calls ‘Impossible to put down’.
Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world’s most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.
Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale’s secret societies – well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there’s a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won’t accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.
Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And sometimes they prey on the living . . .
The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…
Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts is blissfully happy. She lives alone in a faded mansion in Marlow, sets crosswords for The Times, and there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink.
One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. When the local police don’t believe her story, Judith and two unlikely friends decide to investigate for themselves. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.
But soon another body turns up, and it seems they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. Now the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…
The Secrets Of Rochester Place by Iris Costello
A LOST CHILD. A LONG-KEPT SECRET. THE HOUSE THAT HOLDS THE KEY
Spring 1937: Teresa is evacuated to London in the wake of the Guernica bombing. She thinks she’s found safety in the soothing arms of Mary Davidson and the lofty halls of Rochester Place, but trouble pursues her wherever she goes.
Autumn 2020: Corrine, an emergency dispatcher, receives a call from a distressed woman named Mary. But when the ambulance arrives at the address, Mary is nowhere to be found. Intrigued, Corinne investigates and, in doing so, disturbs secrets that have long-dwelt in Rochester Place’s crumbling walls. Secrets that, once revealed, will change her life for ever . . .
Who is Mary Davidson? And what happened at Rochester Place all those years ago?
Set between the dusty halls of Rochester Place and the bustling streets of modern-day Tooting, this emotive, intricately layered mystery tells the spellbinding story of two people, separated by time, yet mysteriously connected through an enchanting Georgian house and the secrets within its walls. For fans of Sally Page’s The Keeper of Stories.
They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera
On September 5th, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: they’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: there’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure – to live a lifetime in a single day.Â
Another beautiful, heartbreaking and life-affirming book from the brilliant Adam Silvera, author of More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, What If It’s Us, Here’s To Us and the Infinity Cycle series.
Good morning everyone and happy Tuesday! Well this seems like a great book for a slightly stressed mum of three to read in the week before Christmas. The kids are super excited and very hyper, plus I still have lots of presents to buy and arguments to break up apparently 😂 I thought this would help take my mind if things and provide me with a few much needed laughs.
What are you currently reading? Have you read this?
Book Synopsis:
One month to go. One stressed mum. Can she pull off the perfect family Christmas?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Like every mum, Tara wants a perfect Christmas for her family – but no-one else is lifting a finger and she’s losing her elf-ing mind.
From a vaping teen, explosive potty training and a disastrous Nativity, to a distracted husband acting very out of character, the final straw is Tara’s glamorous, feckless mother moving herself back in for the holidays.
Can Tara pull off the holly jolly Christmas of her dreams? Will she deck the halls and not her family? Or is this a Christmas catastrophe waiting to happen…
Hilarious, heartwarming and festive as f*ck – the new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Mammy Banter: The Secret Life of an Uncool Mum.
About The Author:
Up and coming comedy content creator, writer, actress and public speaker, Serena Terry, known as Mammy Banter, has taken the social media world by storm after her hilarious videos started going viral across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Serena’s down-to-earth, ‘tell it like it is’ realness has resonated with fans around the world. She now has over 650,000 followers on TikTok, 135,000 on Instagram and 100k on Facebook, with more than 20 million views across all platforms.
She lives in Derry with her husband (@daddy_banter) and two kids. She’d love a nap, too.
Yaga lives deep in the Russian forest, tending to any that call upon her for her healing potions and vast wisdom.
She has been alone for centuries, with only her beloved animals for company. But, when Tsaritsa Anastasia, wife of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, shows up at Yaga’s cottage on the brink of death, Yaga is compelled to travel with her to Moscow to keep her safe.
However, the Russia Yaga sees as she makes her journey to the heart of the country is one on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan – soon to become Ivan the Terrible – grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.
Set in sixteenth-century Russia, The Witch and the Tsar upends the stories we know of Baba Yaga as the bony-legged witch of Slavic fairy tales and the stuff of nightmares. For beyond the rumours of her iron nose, fangs for teeth, and house on chicken legs, is the story of a woman so wise and strong that she has to be cloaked in lies to hide her true power.
My Review:
The Witch And The Tsar is a perfect blend of fantasy and historical fiction that I really loved. It’s definitely a book that has stayed with me long after reading it.
Firstly I’ve always loved Russian history so I found all the little details in this book fascinating. I’d heard of Ivar The Terrible before so it was interesting to learn more about him and the events in this book that might have had an effect on his later rule. I enjoyed finding out more about life in court and the fashion of the time. It was particularly intriguing to learn more about the women at the court and how many rules applied to them – even the Tsarista.
The fantasy side of the story was beautifully imagined and described. I especially liked the wonderful description of Little Hen and the way Yaga can communicate with the animals so they become her friends. The descriptions of The Land Of The Dead were very chilling and helped provide an air of mystery and uncertainty as I wondered what would happen next.
Yaga was a great character and one whose strength I greatly admired. I loved the way she stood up for herself despite people’s suspicion and how loyal she was to people who needed her. It was interesting to learn more about herbal medicine at that time too.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. The story took a little while to get going but I was soon thoroughly absorbed. The mystery side of the story kept me on my toes and I loved watching the story unravel as I never really knew where the story would go next.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Harper Voyager for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in the U.S., and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English/political science, and from Northwestern School of Law with a JD. She practiced litigation at a large law firm for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. She is most happy writing historical fiction and fantasy inspired by Eastern European folklore. She lives in a wooded, lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and daughter. THE WITCH AND THE TSAR is her debut novel.
5 Books That I Wish I Could Read For The First Time Again!
We’ve all got those amazing books that capture our imagination and stay with us. These 5 books were all brilliant 5 Star reads for me and ones that I’ve continued to think about and that I thoroughly recommend if you haven’t read them already.
What books do you wish you could read again? Have you read these?
The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson
An absorbing, gripping read describing real life events in WW2 where an entire community lived underground during the worst of the blitz. The community consisted of a library, a day care centre and even a theatre!
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
A fascinating glimpse into the forgotten lives of slaves in Ancient Rome and how brutal they often were.
The Lighthouse Bookshop by Sharon Gosling
A lovely a story about a community built up around a bookstore with a hidden history and their fight to save it from being knocked down by developers.
The Winter Gardens by Nicola Cornick
A fantastic dual timeline story depicting events leading up to the gunpowder plot. Absolutely fascinating and I learnt lots of new things about this period.
The Reason by Catherine Bennetto
A gorgeous story about a mum and daughter trying to spread a little love and happiness to everyone. Plus one of the best, quirky family I’ve read about.
Over The Rainbow Blog 